Blotter-holder



(No Model.)

J. S. WELSH. BLOTTER HOLDER,

No. 473,983. Patented May 3,1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. WVELCH, OF FORT ELLIOTT, TEXAS.

BLOTTER-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 473,983, dated May 3, 1892. Application filed February 5, 1891. Serial No. 380,345. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES S. WELCH, of Fort Elliott, in the county of Wheeler and State of Texas, have invented certain new an d useful Improvements in Blotter-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My Invention relates to improvements in devices for attaching to the top of a desk the sheet of blotting-paper usually employed as a surface upon which to write; audit consists in certain appliances by which the blotter will be held tightly and securely to the desktop and which will present no obtruding edges, all as I will now proceed to point out and describe.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective v1ew of a desk, showing the manner of employlng my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of one of the holding plates or disks. Fig. 3 1s a section on the line 00 as, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on the line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the holding plate or disk of any suitable material, but preferably metal, which is flat on the under side, and on top convex or gradually sloping from the center to the circumference or edge, as shown. This plate ordisk is provided with a slot B, preferably key-hole shaped, the circular part 0 of which is ust beyond the center of the disk, the narrowed portion extending to near the circumference at the opposite edge. The sides of this narrowed portion are beveled, the pitch or slant of the bevel 'slightlyincreasing or approaching the perpendicular from the circular opening toward the end of the slot, which practically makes the sides of the slot incline upward toward its narrow end.

To fasten a sheet of blotting-paper to a desk-top, screws or headed pins are. inserted in the top of the desk and small openings made in the paper to receive the latter,fitted as shown. The holding-plates are then placed over the screws, the heads of the latter passing up through the circular openings of the slots in the plates and the narrow end of the slots pointing inward. Now by moving the plates outward the edges of the narrowed portion of the slot are forced under the head of the screw, and owing to the inclination of the sides of the slot the plates will be drawn tightly down upon the paper, thus clamping the latter securely. To remove the plates it is only necessary to push them in the opposite direction, as will be readily understood.

While I have described the fastener as adapted to clamp a blotter to a desk, it is equally Well adapted for use by draftsmen in holding the paper to the drawing-board.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The herein-described fastening plate or disk, having the fiat under surface and convex upper surface provided with a slotwider at one end than the other and having the side walls beveled to give a gradual upward incline to the bearing edges from the wider end to the narrower, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The herein-described blotter-holder, and in combination therewith, a base having screws or headed pins secured therein, and a plate or disk having the flat under surface and convex upper surface and having a keyhole slot therein, the side walls of the narrow portion being beveled, the inclination of the bevel gradually increasing toward the end of the slot, whereby when the edges of the narrow portion are forced under the head of the screw or pin the fastener will be drawn down tightly on the paper, clamping it securely, substantially as described.

JAMES S. WELCH.

Witnesses:

JOHN R. WRIGHT, THos. RILEY. 

